"Driving Sports TV" (drivingsports)
09/04/2018 at 22:54 • Filed to: Toyota, hybrid
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"Driving Sports TV" (drivingsports)
09/04/2018 at 22:54 • Filed to: Toyota, hybrid | 0
| 5 |
This week we take a look at the the dual-electric-motor all-wheel drive setup in the RAV4 Hybrid (...in addition to reviewing the rest of the vehicle as well .) Can Toyota provide economy and AWD performance i n a hybrid crossover package?
bhtooefr
> Driving Sports TV
09/04/2018 at 23:32 |
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That’s a shame that they’ve got the AWD system mapped in such a weaksauce manner. I mean, a lot of the power will inevitably go towards the front - the engine makes 150 hp max (although it’ll probably be something like 2/3 of that at the low speeds you were testing at ) , the battery gives what appears to be ~ 44 hp max, and the rear motor can take 67 hp.
npc58501
> Driving Sports TV
09/05/2018 at 01:30 |
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After seeing how that AWD system operates, what’s the point? You’re paying extra for a vehicle that mostly refuses to engage the AWD even where it could be useful. The ground clearance looks less than my C-Max which means normal city driving where I live in the winter can get me stuck even more often . For an “AWD” vehicle that cost >$10000 more than my car only to have less clearance than a car and a AWD system that doesn’t exactly work ? W hat am I paying for? A badge? Isn’t that what Lexus is for?
pip bip - choose Corrour
> Driving Sports TV
09/05/2018 at 06:01 |
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does the battery pack disturb the load area?
Funktheduck
> npc58501
09/05/2018 at 07:48 |
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People will see 4 things and buy them like hot cakes: “Toyota” “hybrid” “ RAV4” and most importantly “AWD”
BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
> Driving Sports TV
09/24/2018 at 12:11 |
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Ok, I agree with his positive take that this equipment can be had, in a well equipped vehicle for 36K.
this is basically a grocery getter with a similar drivetrain to BMW i8, turned around. (engine and motor in the front, motor only in the back, where i8 puts the engine and main drive unit behind the driver, and the AWD motor on the front axle), in a mass-market steel bodied everybody car.
However, I also agree... this thing is tuned WAY too eco-minded to not allow the rear axle to participate in actual active driving (dirt road, higher throttle levels, or defensive driving situations)
And having a laptop battery pack, so not to actually have an EV-mode with a few miles of full-speed range before the engine kicks in anyway.
However... this does partially make my case.
A hybrid sports car can be made for this 36K price range, on a steel body, hardware-shared platform, like an MR2.
An MR2 could be built, based on these mechanicals, with a smaller body that uses less steel, glass, rubber, and plastic, and fewer seats, etc... with this vehicle’s drivetrain. Engine and power unit in the back, second electric traction motor in the front. Take some of the materials savings and re-invest it in an uprated set of motors, and maybe a little more engine tune, and a bit bigger of a battery for some EV-range, as well as a more aggressive torque application profile.
Said MR2 could sell between 30-40K, with a peak effective horsepower rating of about 350hp, and instant electric torque, rather than at BMW i8's CF monocoque, super-car doors, laser-headlights , BMW markup to $ 150K.
Mark V MR2 need not be an affordable Ferrari 355 for the masses ... it could be an affordable i8 for the masses, and maybe the actually first commercially successful, and performance-successful affordable hybrid sports car, where CR-Z and others have failed to deliver.